Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, unfortunately…

Chapter 2

It was an overcast day with a cold wind that made Remus tear up as he walked against it down the street. He clutched his jacket close to him and buried his face into his scarf to try and warm his nose, which he feared had turned an unattractive shade of pink. It was a bad day, to say the least. Any day when Remus went out looking for a job was a bad one. Last week, for instance, a few days after James and Lily's wedding, Remus had gone out job-hunting with Sirius only to be turned down by three restaurants and hit on at one pub.

"Werewolf, eh?" the sleazy bar owner had said to him, adjusting himself. "Never hired one of them before but there's a first time for everything."

"Thank you. I'm a very hard worker," Remus had said, trying his all not to notice the greasy man's erection.

"Why don't you let me take you to the back and we can…talk some things over," the man said. Then (Remus cringed) he winked at him.

"Erm," Remus replied. The greasy man was moving in on him now, about to put his sweaty hand on his shoulder. Remus feared he might throw up.

"Remus!" said Sirius, running over to him suddenly. He had been sitting at the bar, watching the interview silently progress. He knocked the owner's hand away from Remus and stood in-between them. "What the bloody fucking hell do you think you're doing, mate?" he had asked the man politely.

"This is between me and the wolf," the man had replied.

"Erm, it's Remus Lupin, sir," Remus had said ever so quietly from behind Sirius.

"Yes. It is Remus fucking Lupin and you ever try to touch him again and I'll shove your arse to far up your-"

"Sirius please," Remus had said. Then he stepped around him so he could face the owner again. He could feel Sirius' eyes on him as he spoke. "I'm sorry for my friend, sir. But I am a very hard worker and I really need work so if you're still offering me the job then I'm very interested."

He knew Sirius must have been rolling his eyes. The owner, however, looked more intrigued than ever. He opened his mouth in a smile revealing crooked, yellow teeth.

"Tell you what, Remus. Blow me and you've got the job."

The words had barely left his mouth when Sirius had pushed Remus out of the way and punched the man in the face, knocking him flat on his back onto the dusty pub floor. Then he had stormed out, pulling Remus with him.

When Remus went job-hunting this time, he decided against bringing Sirius with him.

A nice hot butterbeer was sounding good to him at the moment and he hadn't stopped anywhere for lunch yet and it was well past noon. So when Remus passed a restaurant, he couldn't help but go inside, order a sandwich, and reassess his resume. Of course he had been given excellent recommendations from his professors and Dumbledore, but he had no actual work experience yet. This combined with his "furry little problem" made it extremely difficult for Remus to get work and he couldn't live off his parent's money forever, beings as they hardly had enough money to pay for his flat in the first place.

His face must have looked upset because a young waitress stopped on her way past him and gave him a look of sympathy. "You okay hon?" she asked him. He looked up at her. She was pretty with a long black ponytail and chocolate eyes. He nodded and she smiled. Then she took a sit down beside him.

"Are you looking for a job?" she asked, eyeing his resume.

"Yeah, actually. Not going too well so far," he told her. He was trying to keep his face from blushing as he looked at her.

"Well if it's of any interest to you, the place next door is hiring. It's a nightclub for poofs but the owner's really nice. Why don't you head on over when you're done here? Tell him Natalie sent you," she said.

"Thank you. I think I will," Remus said.

After he had finished eating and left Natalie a very generous tip, he walked next door to the nightclub. Above the door was a large neon sign that said Wand Wavers. He stared up at it curiously, and then went inside.

Remus knew he liked the place immediately after walking in. It was large and colorful and perfect. He wondered how it was he never noticed it before. Clutching his resume tightly in his hand, he found the office in the back and knocked on the door. The door opened and Remus walked through to find a young man sitting at the desk, smiling at him.

"Hello. How may I help you?"

"Hello. I'm Remus Lupin. I'm looking for a job and Natalie told me to come here."

At mention of her name, the man's eyes grew brighter and his smile grew wider. He stood up and shook Remus' hand, then gestured for him to sit down.

"Natalie's a doll, isn't she? Used to have a job here herself but left a couple weeks ago. She said it was because they paid more next door but I think it's because she never got hit on. At least, not by the guys." The man laughed and Remus smiled.

"I have a resume, sir," Remus began but the man held up a hand to silence him.

"It's Jason and I don't think I'll need to see a resume. Just a few questions for you Remus."

"Alright."

"Do you have any product in your hair?"

Remus stared at him for a moment before he processed the question. Then he shook his head. "No."

"Wow. So it just dries like that naturally? It's really nice."

"Thanks."

"Okay now, another question. Are you a poof, by any chance?"

Remus stared again, trying to think up an answer. "I…I don't know, sir."

"It's Jason. You don't know?"

"I mean, yes but…well I don't think I…erm…yes. Yes, I'm a poof."

"Fabulous. I see a lot of tips in your future Remus. A lot of tips indeed. You can start this Friday. Wear your hair like that, it's great."

"Thanks very much Jason," Remus said happily. "I'm a very hard worker and-"

"Well don't work too hard. See you Friday." Then he shook his hand again and sent Remus on his way.

That night, Remus rang up Sirius and James and told the news. They all came over to Remus' to celebrate, Lily bringing a bottle of champagne.

"It's really excellent Remus," she told him.

James agreed and Sirius just kept smiling.

James and Lily left around eleven, leaving Remus alone with Sirius in the living room.

"Wand Wavers. Isn't that a nightclub for poofters, Moony?" he asked him. The light from the fireplace was making his skin glow and Remus couldn't take his eyes away.

"Yes. You should go. It's really nice."

Sirius stared back. "But I'm not a poofter, Remus," he said. Remus laughed but Sirius didn't, he just kept looking at him, a confused look on his face. "You don't really think I am, do you?"

Remus sighed, and leaned back in his chair. "I don't know Sirius. Doesn't having sex with me make it sort of obvious?"

"I. I don't know what…Moony, we're just…it's not like that for me," Sirius said. Then he stood up and began pacing the room. "Are you one, then?"

"Am I one?"

"Gay, Remus. Are you gay?"

Remus stood up, too. "Are you seriously asking me that question, Pads?"

Sirius crossed his arms and stared at the floor for a few uncomfortable seconds. Then he cleared his throat. "It's late, Moony. I should be heading home."

"Right."

"See you tomorrow, hmm?" Sirius walked past him and out the door, shutting it behind him. Remus was left alone in the dark. Poofter. Werewolf. Single.

He knew it was going to be a bad day.